Hey y'all! Welcome to chapter 6 of Winds of Change. Today, we have the long awaited meeting between Rusty and Tallstar (and Deadfoot and Onewhisker of course), and the question that will change the future of the Clans forever...

Deadfoot let out an audible gasp. He turned to the WindClan leader, who had his amber eyes widened in surprise. At last they had found the cat they had been searching for all this time, but it was under the most unexpected, and most unfortunate, of circumstances. The black deputy had known that this expedition wouldn't be a breeze, but StarClan really seemed out to get them today. Maybe not StarClan. The tom reminded himself. After all, he still wasn't sure if StarClan could reach them this far from Clan territory. It didn't matter right now. They had to save that kitten.

"Three of them, three of us." Onewhisker said, flexing his claws. "What are we still waiting for?" Though Deadfoot shared his sentiment, he knew better than to rush in without at least considering the skill of the enemy cats. Though they were most likely not trained as well as a warrior, they still looked like they could handle themselves in a fight. They got into enough of those, judging by the amount of scars they bore. He said nothing, however, and instead looked at Tallstar, waiting for the leader to speak.

"Here's what we are going to do." The amber-eyed tom said at last. "We will walk up to them and break up the fight. Look intimidating, but do not attack unless they do it first. If there is a chance of avoiding bloodshed, we must take that chance." Tallstar looked at his cats, who both nodded in confirmation. Tallstar's orders seemed reasonable, and it was the best shot they had of getting away from this with the least amount of injuries. "Good." The WindClan leader meowed. "Let's go."

To Deadfoot's biggest relief, the rogues had been to caught up in their bullying to notice the three Clancats heading their way. They crossed the thunderpath after making sure it was clear, and soon they were close enough for Deadfoot to overhear their snarls:

"- but now it's time to say goodbye, kittypet, so, goodbye."

He saw the cat in front, presumably their leader, raise a paw to deliver a final blow to the already beaten kittypet. The kitten visibly shrunk in attempt to protect his weak belly and throat, but Deadfoot knew well that it would not be of much use against the grown tabby. If Tallstar isn't going to say something soon, I will. The tom thought. He may not have been very fond of kittypets, or any outsiders for that matter, but seeing these cats ganging up against an innocent kit made his blood boil.

Beside him, Tallstar growled. "That's enough!" His voice was loud and clear, just like the anger in it. "Step away from the kittypet."

It was either the threatening tone of the demand, or the fact that none of the three enemies had been paying attention to their surroundings, but Tallstar clearly made an impact as nearly all of them jumped out of their pelts at hearing him. Wide-eyed they spun around, coming face to face with the formidable WindClan cats, whose claws were all out and whose teeth were completely bared. The deputy glared at them with narrowed eyes, and behind the cats, he could see the bright ginger pelt of their victim.

Rusty could hardly believe his eyes when he saw the wild cats join the fight. Even though his view was largely blocked by the BloodClan cats, he could see glimpses of his rescuers. At least, that's what he hoped they were. They were quite the sight, making the former housecat hope even more that they were on his side in this. One of the cats he recognised: the twisted leg was hard to miss. The other two were new.

Last time he had seen these cats, well, one of them, they had threatened him, but now they were here to save him instead. Luck was finally on his side today, he realized hopefully. The wild cats were willing to fight for him, which was a very positive sign. Maybe they are willing to let me join them as well!

In front of him, Fury flattened her ears in anger, and sneered sarcastically: "So, we have been graced by the visit of the mighty Clancats today. What an unexpected surprise." There wasn't a trace of fear to detect in her voice, but Rusty could faintly smell the scent of it in the air. While most of it was probably his own, he knew that the sudden appearance of the wild cats had something to do with it amongst the BloodClan cats too.

The black and white tom didn't directly reply to the comment, and kept staring the rogues down with his amber gaze. It was now the turn of the black tom -Deadfoot, Rusty managed to remember- to speak up. "Leave, now."

Even though the former housecat had been on the receiving end of one of his commands as well, it sounded different this time. To Rusty, his voice had been demanding, but in a respectful manner, like a father scolding his kits. This time, however, he sounded ruthless, ready to jump at Fury or one of the others as soon as they made a wrong move or said something he didn't like.

At first, they neither moved or spoke, locked in the deadly staredown with the Clancats. The air was thick with tension; not even a passing car managed to break it. Then, one of the black and white BloodClan cats whispered: "Fury? I... I think we should-" He didn't continue, but the battle-scarred tabby got the hint. "Y'know what? The scrawny kit's yours. He isn't worth it anyway." She lashed her tail as a silent signal for her cats to follow her, and without a word from either groups, they vanished in the shadows of the alley they had come from.

Then it was just him and the wild cats, who Fury had called Clancats. Rusty didn't say anything, still unsure of their true intentions. Still, they had risked their own pelts to scare away his attackers, so they could never be worse than what the rogues had planned for him. He closed his eyes for a second, forcing his fur to go down again. When he opened them, he could see the black and white tom approaching. Now Rusty had the chnace to get a good look at him, the first thing he noticed was his incredibly long tail. He seemed a lot more healthy than Fury and her cats had been, but the fact that the tom's ribs were visible beneath his pelt was hard to miss. The other two didn't look much better in that aspect.

The tom glanced down at him, and spoke in an unexpectedly gentle voice. "Greetings, young one. My name is Tallstar." He paused, looking Rusty over. "Are you alright?"

Inside of Rusty's head, it was a mix of: Please don't hurt me, and I am not in your territory. In the end, the only thing he blurted out was: "I am not in your territory." This earned him a good-humoured laugh from Tallstar, but Rusty could also spot a flash of sadness in there. Had he said something wrong in the first moments of meeting the cats he wanted to join?

"We know, young cat." The long-tailed tom meowed, amused by Rusty's remark, putting the young cat at ease again. There was something in Tallstar's voice that removed his guard entirely. Then he realized he hadn't even thanked the Clancats for saving his tail just a few moments ago, and his ears grew hot with shame.

"Thank you." Rusty said in all earnesty, finally meeting Tallstar's amber eyes. "I don't know if I'd still be there if it wasn't for you all." He meant every word of what he said truly, knowing very well that on his own, those cats could have, and would have, hurt him badly, or worse, killed him. He shivered at the thought of how that situation could have ended.

Deadfoot trotted up to stand next to Tallstar. "I have to admit, he's got manners." The flame-coloured tom heard him say, knowing that it was directed at Tallstar. Rusty frowned in confusion. Is he judging me? Then Deadfoot spoke a second time, and this time it was directed at Rusty himself. "So, we meet again."

The former housecat could only nod, not knowing what to say.

"What is your name, kit?"

"Rusty."

"Well, Rusty, we have been looking all over the place for you."

The ginger tom frowned again. "Looking for me? Why?" His heart was pounding inside of his chest now. This could mean something very good: maybe they wanted him to join their group. However, this could also mean something very bad, such as punishment for entering their territory. Then again, if they had wanted to hurt him, why save him first? It seemed like a lot of extra and unneccesary work to the young cat.

StarClan knows why. Deadfoot thought at the kittypet's final question. And maybe Tallstar. After the WindCLan cats had broken up the fight, Tallstar went to speak to the frightened kitten, leaving him and Onewhisker a few foxlengths behind. The poor thing had looked terrible, having clawmarks on one side and probably a few bruises that weren't even visible to him. But, if he really were to join WindClan, he would have a lot more to endure in the future.

The deputy had listened to Tallstar's conversation with the kit, after which he finally got the learn his name. Rusty. I wonder what Tallstar will pick as his name once he joins the Clan. If he joins the Clan. Deadfoot had his doubts about Rusty's capabilities, but the fact that one of the rogues seemed to have a scratch on her muzzle seemed to be an indicator that the kittypet at least had the neccesary spirit.

"Well, Rusty." Tallstar's voice broke his train of thoughts. Even though his next words were meant for the kittypet, Deadfoot paid close attention as well. "I am the leader of WindClan." Rusty most likely didn't know what that was yet, but they would probably get to that part later on. "A few sunrises ago, Deadfoot, my deputy, had told me about your presence within our borders. He described you to me as unusual, and I must admit that a kittypet on WindClan land is not an everyday occurence."

This wasn't the only thing that had made Deadfoot see Rusty as different than other kittypets. The kitten had been curious, far more adventurous than kittypets were supposed to be. Even when confronted by two warriors and an apprentice, he hadn't immediately ran away in fear. It hadn't been enough to truly take an interest in him though, not until Tallstar had told him about Jake.

Tallstar continued. "Why were you in our territory, Rusty?" It didn't sound like an accusation, but more like a question of genuine interest. The deputy could see Rusty hestitate before he answered.

"I just wanted to have a look."

It was obviously not the entire story. Deadfoot knew that the kittypet was holding something back, and so did Tallstar. The way he looked down while answering and the former hestitation gave it away.

"Tell me the truth." The leader gently pressed. "Why were you in WindClan's territory?" There were a few second of silence before the ginger tom sighed.

"I had to." He quietly meowed. "Something told me I had to. The smells, the feeling of the wind in my fur, it all felt so familiar, so much like home. I had dreams about it, I felt restless. I thought the feelings would disappear once I tried it, and for a moment, it did." He was being completely honest this time, yet the answer surprised the WindClan deputy. Was it really possible for a kittypet to feel this way, to feel the need to abandon their cozy life for one in the wild?

It became quiet again, Rusty looking up at Tallstar with worried eyes, likely afraid he had said too much, or the wrong things. Beside him, he could feel Onewhisker tense. No one knew what was going to happen next. A long time passed before Tallstar began to talk again, moments of anticipation on both sides.

"Rusty, what I am going to ask you next is something considered wrong amongst the Clans. It is something that can cause trouble for you, and for us as Clan. However, I feel like it's something that is neccesary." Deadfoot had only heard Tallstar this serious a couple of times. "Do you want to join WindClan?"

Author's note

Cliffhanger! Hehe, like we don't already know what Rusty's answer will be.

This is the longest chapter I have written for Winds of Change yet, and I have something to ask you. Do you rather see shorter chapters but frequent updates, or longer chapters and less frequent updates? I want to do what you guys like best, as you are the ones reading this story of mine. So, please tell me what you like best, and I will do what the majority wants!

If you haven't already seen it, please have a look at the very first chapter! There I posted the current WindClan allegiances, as I have made some changes regarding WindClan's members, but also to some of their ages and relationships to have it all make sense again. Look at me, fixing the mess of the writers themselves haha. So, if you see some things that are different from the books, it will probably be explained there.

As always, please remember to leave a favourite or maybe even a review if you like this story so far. I love reading them all and they are extremely encouraging for me to read. I will respond to a couple again next chapter!